Federico Chiesa earns recall to Italy squad for World Cup play-offs

[p]Coach Gennaro Gattuso named a 28-man squad for the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/italy-hlKvieGH/northern-ireland-lQADNSWu/?mid=v7ssLzeU"]March 26 match[/a] against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/northern-ireland/lQADNSWu/"]Northern Ireland[/a] in Bergamo. Should [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/italy/hlKvieGH/"]Italy[/a] win they will travel on March 31 to face the winner of the match between [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/wales/YcUP0Nqp/"]Wales[/a] and Bosnia and Herzegovina for a place at World Cup.[/p][p]Should they fail, they will miss a third straight World Cup.[/p][p]Gattuso also recalled 22-year-old [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/atalanta/8C9JjMXu/"]Atalanta[/a] centre-back [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/scalvini-giorgio/hvC4gron/"]Giorgio Scalvini[/a], who suffered a serious left knee injury just before Euro 2024, and 21-year-old [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/as-roma/zVqqL0ma/"]Roma[/a] midfielder [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pisilli-niccolo/8nDLItn7/"]Niccolo Pisilli[/a], who won one cap in 2024. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cagliari/SCGVmKHb/"]Cagliari[/a] defender [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/palestra-marco/Y3DYaDdP/"]Marco Palestra[/a], 21, was called up for the first time.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/chiesa-federico/jHMlMUC4/"]Chiesa[/a], a member of the team that won Euro 2021, has not played for Italy since Euro 2024 when the defending champions lost to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/switzerland/rHJ2vy1B/"]Switzerland[/a] in the round of 16.[/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vicario-guglielmo/0fdL3XXa/"]Vicario[/a], who was briefly dropped at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tottenham/UDg08Ohm/"]Tottenham[/a], started Italy's penultimate World Cup group game, a 2-0, win in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/moldova/zsDPKQGb/"]Moldova[/a] in November. He was on the bench three days later when the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/napoli/69Dxbc61/"]Azzurri[/a], who had a slim chance of grabbing first place in Group I, were instead thrashed 4-1 in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ac-milan/8Sa8HInO/"]Milan[/a] by leaders [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/norway/8rP6JO0H/"]Norway[/a].[/p][embed guid="27cb1ba7-e7d5-4f1b-b015-e4ae4fdf05bb" url="https://x.com/Azzurri_En/status/2034965691380518955" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Squad[/h2][p][b]Goalkeepers: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/caprile-elia/rBsmDlYq/"]Elia Caprile[/a] (Cagliari), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/carnesecchi-marco/8WujtCJF/"]Marco Carnesecchi[/a] (Atalanta), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/donnarumma-gianluigi/WScbdXmL/"]Gianluigi Donnarumma[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-city/Wtn9Stg0/"]Manchester City[/a]/ENG), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/meret-alex/EBsz2tTd/"]Alex Meret[/a] (Napoli)[/p][p][b]Defenders:[/b] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bastoni-alessandro/On4TkPTN/"]Alessandro Bastoni[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter/Iw7eKK25/"]Inter[/a]), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/buongiorno-alessandro/UDMnkfdo/"]Alessandro Buongiorno[/a] (Napoli), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/calafiori-riccardo/CEwq7x7l/"]Riccardo Calafiori[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Arsenal[/a]/ENG), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cambiaso-andrea/vRzeXq5h/"]Andrea Cambiaso[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/juventus/C06aJvIB/"]Juventus[/a]), Diego Coppola (Paris FC/FRA), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dimarco-federico/W6lypZn3/"]Federico Dimarco[/a] (Inter), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gatti-federico/SCvJDma8/"]Federico Gatti[/a] (Juventus), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Marco Palestra (Cagliari), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/spinazzola-leonardo/UgYYWt1i/"]Leonardo Spinazzola[/a] (Napoli)[/p][p][b]Midfielders: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/barella-nicolo/W0yrjzz2/"]Nicolo Barella[/a] (Inter), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cristante-bryan/t6u0o3h7/"]Bryan Cristante[/a] (Roma), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/frattesi-davide/WlVuvCqU/"]Davide Frattesi[/a] (Inter), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/locatelli-manuel/6RgXRdd8/"]Manuel Locatelli[/a] (Juventus), Niccolo Pisilli (Roma), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tonali-sandro/fmQVO5TQ/"]Sandro Tonali[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/newcastle-utd/p6ahwuwJ/"]Newcastle[/a]/ENG)[/p][p][b]Forwards: [/b]Federico Chiesa ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a]/ENG), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/esposito-francesco/dKXxEOKj/"]Francesco Pio Esposito[/a] (Inter), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kean-moise/QPclX9Uq/"]Moise Kean[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/fiorentina/Q3A3IbXH/"]Fiorentina[/a]), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/politano-matteo/lxWZKRDD/"]Matteo Politano[/a] (Napoli), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/raspadori-giacomo/GlZEnTQr/"]Giacomo Raspadori[/a] (Atalanta), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/retegui-mateo/Grhjz8pS/"]Mateo Retegui[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/al-qadsiah/tvQZtrTd/"]Al-Qadsiah[/a]/KSA), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/scamacca-gianluca/vDgQxOYl/"]Gianluca Scamacca[/a] (Atalanta)[/p]